St Prisca Chapel
A testament to faith and heritage
BUILDINGS are more than just design and assembly, they are a snapshot of life. As buildings age, some get overlooked, fall apart, or fade away, while others receive the necessary maintenance, or dumb luck, to exist.
Every building has a story, one is the St Prisca Chapel in Labasa.
It is located behind St Mary’s Primary School, within the town premises.
The chapel was built in 1942, according to St Thomas Anglican Parish priest Father Gerald Billings.
Father Billings said it was built with a contribution of 20 pounds from London.
“We do not know the name of the person who donated the 20 pounds,” he said.
In an interview with this newspaper, he said some of the materials used to build the chapel was given by the New Zealand Army based in Nadi.
“They brought the material from Nadi to here in a barge,” he said.
“Not only they donated some of the materials, they also helped in building it.”
According to the Auckland Museum website, these soldiers were in Fiji for garrison duties.
“When New Zealand troops of the brigade landed in Fiji on November 1, 1940, they made history,” the website said.
“It was the first time a defence force from a self-governing dominion had been sent to garrison duties and labouring tasks to a Crown Colony of the British Empire.”
Wikipedia said the New Zealanders left after the Americans took responsibility for the defence of Fiji.
“They were relieved by United States of America troops in July 1942,” Father Billings said.
“At this time, the 29th returned to New Zealand. It arrived in Auckland on July 6 and its personnel enjoyed a period of leave before reassembling at Papakura Military Camp in early August.
“It resumed training which included a period learning bush and mountain warfare as well as an intensive exercise.”
However, Father Billings said the giver of the 20 pounds requested that the chapel be named St Prisca.
“They did name it as the donor wished.”
He said the chapel was used by girls who lived at the St Mary’s Hostel.
“For the hundreds of our girls who passed through this hostel, St Prisca was not only used as a place of worship.”
“It was also a kind of retreat corner where if there was something troubling you, or if you wanted to make peace with your roommate, this was a place to come and sit and share your problems with God.”
He said the chapel was named after a woman who was the only daughter of a Roman magistrate.
“In those days Christianity was strictly banned, and anyone caught practicing was sentenced to death.
“But Prisca used to listen to the slaves of the Romans and heard all about the love of our saviour Jesus Christ and how he died for us.”
All these stories, he said, stirred up her faith and someone eventually reported her to officials.
“She was hauled up to the officials and told to deny her faith in Jesus Christ, but she refused and eventually sentenced to death.”
Despite her parents and family asking her to denounce Christianity, he said she refused to do so and finally executed by the Romans.
“It is said that when her body was taken down for burial, there was still a peaceful smile on her face.”
Anglican Church of Fiji vicar general, Orisi Vuki said Prisca suffered terrible tortures, one of which was being taken to the arena to be devoured by wild beasts.
“Rather than devour her though, the lions are said to have licked her feet,” he said.
“Finally, she was taken outside the walls and beheaded.”
Father Vuki said the young martyr was buried in the catacomb named after St Priscilla, a wife of a Roman senator.
“They share the same feast day which is January 18.”
Like the namesake, the chapel has stood with time.
It managed to withstand cyclone Ami, one of the worst cyclones to affect Labasa which caused floodwaters to inundate the entire town.
However, a de-consecration service was held last Friday.
It was a decommissioning service where the religious blessing given to a church or in this case, the chapel, when it first opened, was removed.
Father Vuki said the chapel would be dismantled as the land where it was built had been given back to the landowners.
“The act of secularisation is both a ritual act that returns the set apart nature of the building and the land to general use.
“It is also a pastoral act of closure and new beginning that refocuses the identity of a community in the way forward from here.”
The imprints of years of worship and service conducted at the chapel, he said, was a blessing and a part of church history.
“We know the church is not the building and yet these buildings can be a vehicle of grace for us in unfathomable and sacramental ways,” Father Vuki said.
For the time being it is unknown when the chapel will be demolished.
However, the church’s development community chairman, Paula Vadiga, said the chapel would be demolished as the land where it’s located had been reclaimed by the Nacula landowners.
“They want the land back because there are more of them who lack land,” he said.
Mr Vadiga said the land would be used for commercial purposes.
“We have to remove the kindergarten and the old hostel,” he said.
“Fortunately, they have given us time to demolish the buildings.
“The land has been used by the church for more than eight decades.
“We are thankful to them for giving us the land.
“Fortunately for the church, the landowners have given three quarters of the reclaimed land.
“This will be used to build the classrooms.”
He said they were not sure whether they will still have the kindergarten next year or not.
For the hundreds of our girls who passed through this hostel, St Prisca was not only used as a place of worship. It was also a kind of retreat corner where if there was something troubling you, or if you wanted to make peace with your roommate, this was a place to come and sit and share your problems with God
– Father Gerald Billings